Situational Leadership Theories: Relevance, Strengths, and Weaknesses
As the new top-level executive of a medium-sized corporation, you have noticed that the leadership culture in the organization has been ineffective, which has lowered employee morale. To change the leadership culture you have decided to discuss this issue with all the managers and supervisors in the organization. Prior to meeting with all the managers and supervisors, you have decided that you need to develop a how-to guide on effective leadership.
In a four- to five-page paper (excluding the title and references pages), explain why situational leadership theory is useful and relevant in developing an effective leadership culture. Describe the three theories of situational leadership and what you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of each theory when leading staff in the organizational environment.
The written assignment should include at least three scholarly sources, in addition to the text, and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center (Links to an external site.). Please use the text as one of the sources.
Situational Leadership Theory and Organizational Leadership
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Situational Leadership Theory and Organizational Leadership Situational leadership provides an avenue for leaders to engage with their employees effectively based on their needs and capabilities at different times. Notably, different employees have different competencies and skills that set them apart. As a result, a leader must appreciate such differences and look at the organizational objectives before deciding on the right path to take (Bierman et al., 2018). As a result, situational leadership provides multiple perspectives through which leaders can enhance their approaches to maximize the possibility of success. Consequently, the ever-changing business environments in today’s globalized world pose challenges that require the situational leadership approach that can adapt to employee development behavior. Importance of Situational Leadership Theories Situational leadership is important for enhancing the capabilities and achievements of management, employees, and the organization. Firstly, the leader can use different leadership styles on different employees based on their readiness and ability to take instructions (Thompson & Glasø, 2018). This means that a leader can establish working relationships with employees by understanding their experience and expertise in their organization. Apart from that, the leader can further foster collaboration by developing appropriate teams that can successfully achieve organizational objectives (Bierman et al., 2018). This is possible because such a leader can influence individuals and innovate appropriately to achieve optimum productivity levels across the board. Apart from that, the human capital in organizations can benefit from situational leadership theories by gaining the leader’s support to improve their performance. The experience levels of each employee are majorly different based on the number of years worked or the proficiencies achieved over a specific time (Bierman et al., 2018). Since employees are perceived to be at different levels of professional development, a situational leader can set the right amount of coaching or guidance required for each. This ultimately ensures that consistent guidance and direction are provided to each individual, thus preparing and improving their capabilities as they work daily. Different Theories of Situational Leadership Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard developed the most common situational leadership theory in 1969. The theory was based on the presumption that employee skills and dedication were foremost in determining a leader’s style. These styles include directing, supporting, coaching, and delegating, each to be applied in different situations based on the assessment of the employee (Bierman et al., 2018). For instance, a leader may delegate tasks to employees with high experience levels in the organization. On the other hand, new employees require direction from the leader with constant supervision tenure so that they can learn and complete the task appropriately. This theory is praised for its strengths, particularly in its ability to develop leaders who are adaptive and influential. More so, with its people-centered approach, the organization can invest in its employees, building a loyal and committed human capital base that can push the company forward. However, several weaknesses also affect this theory with regard to the level of effort required for a manager to observe and assess each employee’s capabilities (Bierman et al., 2018). This can also create conflicts in cases where employees m...